Following a “Save Our Soul” letter to President Bola Tinubu by the Ondo State Caucus in the House of Representatives regarding the anti-party activities of the State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, a member of the House of Representatives from the state, Abiola Makinde, has criticized the lawmakers behind the letter.
Makinde, who distanced himself from the letter written by his colleagues, stated that the letter was not composed in good faith or out of love for the state but as a plot to blackmail Aiyedatiwa and incite political crisis in the state.
The lawmaker, representing Ondo East/West Federal constituency at the House of Representatives, noted that the lawmakers are anxious about their return to the House in 2027 due to the growing popularity of Aiyedatiwa in the state after the death of Akeredolu.
According to him, the lawmakers are attempting to orchestrate a political crisis in the state where there is none. He urged the federal lawmakers to refrain from heating the political atmosphere and advised them to abstain from blackmailing Aiyedatiwa.
Makinde asserted that the lawmakers were determined to disrupt the peace in the state, describing the content of the letter as deliberate falsehood to gain undue favor. He mentioned that the lawmakers were passive during the political crisis that almost destabilized the state last year.
He stated, “I wouldn’t have responded to the sudden letter purportedly written and signed by five Members of the House of Representatives from Ondo state against Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa if they hadn’t made the mistake of letting it look like one emanating from the Ondo state Caucus in the Green chambers but signed by just five of them. I want history to be kind to me, hence the need to clarify issues.
“With due respect to my colleagues, I think this letter has revealed those who intend to create a crisis in the party rather than averting it. Lawmakers who are leaders in their own constituencies suddenly waking up to protect the late Former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, whom they abandoned when he was alive, is self-defeating.
“Since the death of the former governor, this caucus has not deemed it fit to pay a condolence visit to his family, yet they claim to now love him in death more than when he was alive.”
He queried, “What was the role of the caucus during the inglorious days of thick politics that nearly brought down our state last year? How many letters did we write to the president to save the state from those who deliberately clogged it?
“It took the personal intervention of the President to resolve the political crisis in the state last year, but these lawmakers were nowhere to be found in that process.”
“It is easy to dissect the people in that statement to show that this is not about Ondo State or her people but about the upcoming governorship election in the State. While there is a known aspirant among the five who wrote this letter, all of them are supporting different aspirants.
He stated that “Hon. Adesida, the leader of the caucus, is angling to be the running mate of one of the governorship aspirants in the state. Hon. Odimayo is a governorship aspirant. Hon. Adelegbe is the Director-General of the campaign of another governorship aspirant, Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin, while Hon. Akinfiranye is the Director-General of the campaign of another aspirant, Wale Akinterinwa, who is his kinsman.
“Therefore, it is easy to see where the truth lies in all of this. There is nothing honorable in being bonded to fight a common enemy whom you think is ahead. I will never join in such.”
“I haven’t been appointed to speak for the Governor, but the truth must be told. All the allegations against him were put forward in bad faith. The five lawmakers were in a hurry to nail a man who did nothing to hurt them.
“Irrespective of who gets the accolades, the payment of the N35,000 wage award and 2017 salary arrears claimed to be Akeredolu’s initiative didn’t come until Aiyedatiwa became the Governor.
“The expenditure of government is done on a month-by-month basis. Before his death, Akeredolu was out of office for about six months. How can lawmakers, who are supposed to have a deep knowledge of how government runs, claim that what is being done now was approved by him over six months ago?
“That lawmakers would even groan at those lofty achievements instead of applauding them speaks volumes of the hatred in their hearts. Suppose it’s Akeredolu’s initiative as they claimed, why is the Governor blamed for destroying the legacies of Aketi even when he has vowed openly to complete all projects initiated by his former boss?”
“It is laughable that these lawmakers would claim that there is no unity in the party when they are the ones creating a fake crisis through false narratives, having become threatened by the rising popularity of the governor ahead of the coming election.
“This governor held for the very first time in many years an expanded stakeholders meeting of the party and has given members of the party a sense of belonging, and they are happier than before.
“The claim that Aiyedatiwa has sidelined the chairman of the party is akin to a beer parlour talk since the chairman hasn’t raised such with the party in Ondo state and Abuja. Responsible politicking is an important ingredient of peace. Where there is peace, development naturally occurs,” he said.
He, however, commended Aiyedatiwa for accommodating the perceived enemies of his late principal, saying “if he’s able to convert the supposed enemies of his late boss to his friends. The challenge of friendship is enormous, let alone inheriting another’s enemies in the name of politics.
“I am glad the President of Nigeria is a great example of a leader who forgives easily and accommodates those who have wronged him in his political trajectory.
“How would lawmakers who were voted by their constituents to engender peaceful coexistence insinuate that Chief Adelami Olayide, the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, is an enemy of late Akeredolu even in death?
“This was even a man who collapsed his structure to work for the re-election of Aketi after he failed to clinch the party’s ticket. You still wished to fan the ember of war between two sons of Ọwọ even when the other is dead? This is uncharitable. It is a disservice to Aketi.
“The dissolution of the state exco is the prerogative of the Governor. For the turmoil that had engulfed the state during the absence of late Aketi, the only reasonable thing to do would be to dissolve the cabinet to allow for fresh air, new energy, and avoid sabotage.”
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He said, “I can beat my chest and say this agitation is about the coming gubernatorial election and the fear of future elections. This is self-serving. It is far from expressing any love for the dead Aketi. We should all search our conscience and purge our hearts. Only God crowns a king. What will be, will be.
“If these lawmakers are scared of the popularity of the governor and how it could affect their own chances of getting re-elected in 2027, blackmailing the governor is not the best tactic.
“Aiyedatiwa is a man of peace who has demonstrated that he wants to work with everyone. Let my colleagues approach the governor and negotiate with him instead of blackmailing him”
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